Help with three Indian items

[Sonofacqms]

I wonder whether any one can help with three Indian items I bought today?

I think the are all shoulder titles, but if not it's no worry. The 6/BOMBAY needs some tlc as it has had some very clumsy repair work done to it which was not sucessful as one loop has fallen off.

The 3/BOMBAY and Poona Vol. Rifles are both cast.

Thanks in advance.

Rob

[Khyber]

I would think they are shoulder titles.

The 3rd Bombay is the 3rd Bombay Sappers and Miners, I think

[peter monahan]

Yes and yes: shoulder titles, and the 3rd were S&M. Quite a nice little lot, Son.

[Wmr-RHB]

Are you both sure that the 3rd Bombay is Sappers and Miners and not 3rd Bombay Light Infantry?

The 3rd Bombay Sappers and Miners had a POW feathers badge (I do not know about their ST).

For me the bugle points to LI.

[Khyber]

Re. The bugle..you have a point..l need to do some digging...

[Wmr-RHB]

Probably superfluous, but the three Sapppers aand Miners Regiments belonged to the domain of the Engineers. From 1903, when they were numbered:
1st Bengal Sappers and Miners > 1911: 1st King George's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners
2nd Queen's Own Madras Sappers and Miners > 1911: 2nd Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers and Miners
3rd Bombay Sappers and Miners > 1921: 3rd Royal Bombay Sapper and Miners.
(short what follows: they lost their numbers in 1923, went to the Indian Army in 1947 and exist today as Bengal, Madras and Bombay Engineer Group).

They should of course not be confused with:
1st Brahman Infantry in th Bengal Army
2nd Madras Infantry in the Madras Army
3rd Bombay Light Infantry in the Bombay Army

Nor, post 1903 with (1914 titles):
1st Brahmans
2nd Queen Victoria's Own Rajput Light Infantry
3rd Brahmans

Another thing that might add to the confusion is that in the infantry there were Pioneer Regiments. Let us be happy that none of these bore the same number until the 1922 reorganisation. But from then on we had:
1st Madras Pioneers
2nd Bombay Pioneers
3rd Sikh Pioneers
Maybe one of the reasons that the Sappers and Miners lost their number in the next year?

In any case the strange mixture of using infantry units for engineering tasks was solved by disbanding all the Pioneers in 1933. The Sappers and Miners then being the only "workforce" for the Engineering branch in action.

[Sonofacqms]

Well, thanks chaps for great replies. So they are all three titles which will go to my small Indian collection.

Regards Rob

[peter monahan]

And... Monahan does it again! Leaping to the keyboard before looking at the evidence! Yes, the 3rd would be the 1871-1901 Bombay LI, not the S&M! Sorry again. Still nice finds!